Frozen Inside
by IdunAurora
Summary: Attacked by a horde of angry Zangoose, Silver is rescued by Pokémon Ranger Rowena, a former Rocket admin. Against his will, but unable to resist due to his wounds, she takes him to the closest Pokémon Center and then leaves. All healed, Silver is determined to find and confront her once and for all... (contains skipable lemon)
1. A Horde of Zangoose

Chapter 1 – A horde of Zangoose

Silver ran for his life as the horde of Zangoose gained on him. Sneasel lay fainted in his arms and he had already recalled all his other Pokémon, weak and badly wounded, some even fainted. He cursed under his breath as he continued to run. Accidentally angering a horde of aggressive Pokémon directly after a fierce battle with another wandering trainer was certainly not the best way to start the day.

His own strength failing him, Silver tripped on a fallen tree branch and fell, taking the whole impact with his shoulder. Clenching every last muscle in his body, he managed to get up on his feet, but was immediately pulled down again by the horde of furious Zangoose. Protecting Sneasel with his body, he felt the razor sharp claws rip through his clothes and skin, trails of blood sipping down on the grass. Desperate to come up with a plan, he tried ignoring the immense pain as the horde continued to slash, completely out of control.

Suddenly, just when the whole situation had started to seem completely hopeless, Silver felt a wave of energy in the air. The Zangooses stopped abruptly before running away all together. With relief washing over him, Silver lay down on his side to look up at his savior.

The first thing he saw was an Absol, looking sharply at him only a few feet away. Beside it stood a woman about his age, with silver hair down to her shoulders and grey eyes, hard and cold like stone. Judging by her red clothes and the emblem on her beret she was a ranger, and her turtleneck jacket covered some of her face. The little he could see of her legs between her boots and shorts were covered in tattoos.

But those eyes…

Silver suddenly gasped at the pain. His body had tried to sit up as a result of him recognizing the woman, the feeling of relief gone and replaced with anger and hatred.

"You!" he managed to spit out, still unsuccessful in his attempts to sit. The young woman huffed.

"As pathetic as ever." She stated coldly.

"I could say the same about you." Silver retorted, his words dripping with venom. She ignored the comment.

"Cait." She said instead. A female Meowstic appeared by her side from its PokéBall, waiting for further instructions from its trainer. "Carry them." Silver felt himself lift up from the ground, Sneasel still embraced in his arms.

"Wait, what are you doing? Let me down this instant!" He demanded, rage building up inside him. She sighed impatiently, turned on her heel sharply and started to walk away with Absol by her side. Silver and Sneasel were floating through the air behind them, held there by Mewostics psychic abilities.

"I said, let me down!"

"As a ranger it's my duty to take you to the nearest Pokémon Center. Now, shut up." She snapped.

Silver wanted to yell at her, but his strength was failing due to his wounds. He noticed the Meowstic's psychic powers not only were holding him in mid-air, but also keeping his wounds from bleeding more, which was good… not that he could care about that now.

"What are you doing here?" He hissed instead. She was silent, ignoring him. "Answer me!" Still no response. He gritted his teeth, changing tactics. "You are talking to me whether you like it or not, Rowena!"

He heard her huff again, not amused.

"I'm a Johto ranger. That's all."

"Don't try and get smart with me. When did you leave Team Rocket?"

She didn't answer him. Rowena had been a high-rank admin of Team Rocket once, and had even been the right hand woman of Silver's father, Giovanni. She had worked passionately and tirelessly for an organization Silver hated and despised from the bottom of his heart, and here she was now, a stab in the back from the past. They had battled before, and Silver would never forgive his father for putting Rowena in the way whenever he was about to confront the man who left him on the doorstep of a Pokémon Daycare in Johto. The worst part was that she had been good at standing in the way, so good in fact that Silver only with Ethan's help had finally managed to take her down and confront his father.

"I said 'when?' Rowena!" Silver raged on, taking out as much anger and frustration on her as he could in his state. Rowena took her time to answer, but finally spoke up:

"When project Mewtwo went horribly wrong."

That was all he was going to get, he knew that. No matter how he'd push on she wouldn't speak another word.

Silver felt his head spin as they finally exited the forest, headed for Azalea Town. With the pain now on the edge of being unbearable and the overwhelmingly strong negative feelings towards the woman in front of him, he blacked out.

~Rowena's POV~

Silver finally fell silent behind her and she slowly let out a sigh of relief. She really didn't want to speak with him further. He had all the reason in the world to hate her and her past as a Team Rocket admin, but she didn't like him that much either. He had always been an annoying brat, standing in the way of their plans and sabotaging their work.

After leaving the organization, Rowena had settled down as a ranger in the Johto region. The Mewtwo-project had gone wrong in so many ways, and after that, she had begun questioning their actions for the first time. Cloning a Pokémon was simply unnatural, especially an ancient legendary, supposedly the ancestor of all Pokémon in existence. Moving away from Viridian City in Kanto over to the Johto region, she had decided to start anew. She hadn't even considered the fact that the young man who despised her so much actually lived here, and she certainly hadn't expected to find him defeated by a horde of Zangoose in Ilex Forest.

Rowena shook her head silently. She could have just left him there, but that would mean breaking her vows as a ranger. Instead, she headed for the Pokémon Center with Khali the Absol by her side, followed by Cait the Meowstic who was levitating Silver behind them. Hopefully, she could leave him there and never have to see him again.


	2. Not Done With You Yet

Chapter 2 – Not done with you yet

"The young man is lucky, it's not half as bad as we expected. His Pokémon are all healed up and waiting for their trainer to regain consciousness, we'll take care of them for now. I'm guessing he'll wake up in a couple of days or so, probably fully restored considering how fast his wounds are healing. Would you like to be sent a word when he recovers, miss…?"

"No, thank you." Rowena immediately declined the pink-haired nurse's offer. "I'm a mere ranger on ranger duty; I have no relation to the patient whatsoever. Good evening." She turned to leave when the nurse spoke up again.

"Do you know if he has any relatives we should contact, miss? Or any other close relations?"

"I'm afraid I can't help you with that." She said, her tone telling the nurse this was all she was going to get. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

With that, she walked out of the Pokémon Center and headed for Ilex Forest to check that no one else had had a close encounter with the angry horde of Zangoose. She would have to deal with them as soon as possible.

~Silver's POV~

Silver opened his eyes, blinking. Where was he? It felt like he was lying on a bed, his surroundings appearing mostly white. Then, memories started to flood back to him. The battle, the horde of Zangoose, Rowena…

He concluded he was at a Pokémon Center, probably in Azalea Town. Wondering how long he could have been unconscious, he heard a door open and footsteps approaching his bed.

"Oh, you're awake!" A pink-haired nurse was looking down at him, smiling. "Such a strong young man you are! When we heard of the incident we immediately assumed it was going to be much, much worse. You've proved us wrong, thankfully. Now, how are you feeling?"

Silver blinked again, trying to produce words.

"Uh… Okay." He said, not being able to think of anything else.

"Not many would say that after being passed out for two days due to a horde of angry Zangoose. You're wounds are healing fast, there's almost nothing left but a few bruises and scratches, possibly a scar from the deepest cut that we had to sew, but that's healing well, too."

"Right." Silver mumbled, trying to process the information.

"I'll bring you your Pokémon, and then something to eat. Rest for a while now, I'll be right back."

He didn't respond as she exited the room. His head still felt a bit dim, but the memories from the encounter with Rowena were now coming back to him. She had mentioned leaving Team Rocket when project Mewtwo went wrong, and that she now worked as a ranger in the Johto region. He tried recalling if she had said anything else of interest, but could only remember her calling him pathetic. A jolt of pain suddenly shot through him, making him gasp. He had reflexively clenched his fists, making his aching muscles scream in protest. Damn that woman!

~Rowena's POV~

"If I find you poaching ever again, I swear you'll be in hospital for a month." Rowena threatened the man and the woman being shuffled into a police car by a turquoise-haired female officer. They looked at the ranger wide-eyed and scared as the officer closed the door and waved a 'thanks!' to Rowena.

"Thank you for your assistance, we highly appreciate that." The young officer said. "Call us if anything comes up."

Rowena simply nodded in response before heading back to the ranger's cabin in the deepest darkness of Ilex Forest. The poachers had clearly been after the rare female Combees that were attracted by the sweet scent coming from the Forest Shrine. She cursed them under her breath. They reminded her of herself and the person she had been until a few years ago: an ambitious fool who wanted nothing more than find rare, valuable Pokémon, even going as far as trying to create the ultimate Pokémon, the strongest and most powerful there would ever be.

Those dreams had been shattered when Mewtwo let itself free, destroying the lab facilities completely and leaving it in ruins. Then it went into hiding in some location no one would probably ever find it. Rowena thought that probably was for the best. What they had created at the lab in Viridian City wasn't a Pokémon – it was a highly intelligent monster. She would never forgive herself for going through with the project. It should have been aborted long before Mewtwo showed any life signs, before they started the cloning process, before they even found Mew's DNA…

She had believed in it then. She had believed they could make a Mew-clone more powerful and intelligent than the original. In fact, they had been able to. She simply couldn't let go off the fact that no one foresaw the consequences, that no one could calculate just how powerful and intelligent the being would be, let alone how aggressive. They had given it false memories, but it was only later that she learned those memories had been filled with sadness and misery.

Her rage towards the scientists and Giovanni had been finally led to her abandoning the organization altogether and they didn't dare follow her. They knew where she was but had decided it was better to leave her alone… which they were damn right about.

She made herself some coffee and sat down by the table, taking out a detailed map of Ice Path that she had been scheduled to patrol the upcoming week. She had a few days to prepare for the cold, snowy conditions before she had to switch cabins once again, as she did at least once a month. Life as a ranger was just the way she liked it: never standing still, always on the move.

~Silver's POV~

"The woman who brought me here, do you know where she went?"

"I'm afraid not, dear. She's a ranger stationed in Ilex Forest, but they switch places periodically, so there's no knowing if she's headed off someplace else already."

"…I see." Silver murmured, finishing his bowl of soup. The nurse had been kind enough to let him stay an extra night in a room at the Pokémon Center for free, and he had been thankful, even though he wanted nothing more than rush to Ilex Forest as fast as possible. He had questions, and he demanded them answered properly.

"But if she has left, the ranger now stationed there might just know where she is, I guess."

"Right." He said finally, absentmindedly, gathering his things. Sneasel jumped up on his shoulder and he stood up. "Thank you for your time. Goodbye."

"You're welcome!" The nurse called after him, left a bit dumbfounded by his sudden decision to just walk away. Silver didn't even hear her. His mind was solely focused on the former Team Rocket admin.

"I'm not done with you yet, Rowena…" he mumbled through gritted teeth. Sneasel hissed on his shoulder, agreeing with its trainer. "I will find you, and you're going to talk."


	3. A Game of Cat and Mouse

Chapter 3 – A game of cat and mouse

Silver searched Ilex Forest through and through, but found no trace of Rowena or any other ranger anywhere. He was sure there should be ranger's cabins in every location a ranger was stationed, but so far, he hadn't had any luck in finding one. Sneasel was running around looking for clues as well, but hadn't notified it's trainer about anything unusual.

Frustrated, Silver stopped for a moment to think. How could he get in contact with a ranger without having to be attacked by a horde of Zangoose, or potentially damage the forest or the Pokémon in it? All of a sudden, an idea struck him. He called Sneasel who came running towards him.

"Listen…" Silver said, kneeling down and whispering to it. "…pretend you're lost in the forest. Don't come to me even if I call for you. Understood?" Sneasel blinked, not exactly following its trainer's thoughts, but nodded anyway before dashing into the nearest bushes. Silver pretended to keep looking for something else for a while before he got to work.

"Sneasel, we're done here, time to leave!" He called out, looking around. "Sneasel, are you hiding? Come here this instant!" Continuing to call for the not-at-all-lost Pokémon, Silver began walking in the opposite direction of where Sneasel had headed in the first place.

Soon enough, he was successful. A blonde haired man in red with a Johto ranger emblem on his beret was walking towards him, holding Sneasel. The Pokémon appeared joyous seeing its trainer and immediately ran over to Silver, who embraced it and continued the act.

"Sneasel! I was so worried, why did you run off so far? Don't ever do that again." He looked at the ranger, trying to appear thankful. "Thank you, good sir, for bringing Sneasel to me. It's good to have you ranger's stationed around the region it seems."

"You're welcome, young man, and it was no problem at all." The ranger said. "Such things happen quite often here in Ilex Forest."

"On the other hand I'm lucky to have met you, I would need to ask you something." The ranger cocked an eyebrow.

"Go ahead."

"A few days ago, I was attacked by a horde of Zangoose here in the forest, and was rescued by a silver haired female ranger. I'd like to thank her properly for saving me. Would you happen to know where I can find her?"

"Rowena? To be honest I can't for my life understand why you would want to try and find that stone cold woman, let alone try to thank her, but I admit she does her job well, and rescuing you from a horde of Zangoose definitely earns her a good thank you… not that she would accept it. But very well, she's now stationed in Ice Path. The ranger's cabin can be found by the entrance at Route 44."

"Thank you, good sir, and have a good day." Silver said quickly, dashing out of the forest, leaving a confused ranger behind him. She wasn't getting away this time.

~Rowena's POV~

*Bleep, bleep, bleep!*

Rowena pulled out the beeping RangerCom from her pocket and flicked it open. She was greeted by the blonde ranger that had taken over the post in Ilex Forest after her a day earlier. She couldn't remember his name, but since he didn't seem too keen on talking with her anyway, she decided to not even ask.

"Sorry to bother you, Rowena, but I thought I had to notify you of something. Just this afternoon a red-haired guy with a Sneasel came around, saying he was looking for you to thank you from saving him from a horde of Zangoose. He sounded sincere, so I told him of your location, but then it got suspicious. See, he just ran off with a brief thank you. If he's an unwanted guest, you'd better get out of there as soon as possible."

"…I see. Thanks."

"No problem."

Rowena hung up, cursing under her breath. What was that nuisance playing at?

"Khali, come here." She called out to her Absol, which immediately ran over to her. "Listen, Silver is looking for me. I don't know why, but I'm not giving him the satisfaction of finding me easily. We're taking the tent now, not a single night in the same place. He might find me sooner or later, but he's not finding me in this cabin." Khali let out a purr of agreement.

"Let's move."

~Silver's POV~

"Where on earth is that impossible woman?" Silver murmured through gritted teeth, sliding through the second floor of Ice Path for the fourth time that day. He had reached the cavern three days after leaving Ilex Forest, and had now been looking for Rowena for three more days. She wasn't in the cabin, even though he had spent considerable amounts of time waiting for her outside it both at night and at daytime, but she just wasn't there. By now, he was utterly frustrated but not giving up.

He reached the end of the ice floor and stepped out on the gravel, suddenly stopping dead in his tracks. Beneath him, on a well-hidden platform, was a tent. He smirked to himself, moving out of sight.

"Found you."

~Rowena's POV~

"Damn it!" Rowena grabbed her spare backpack, complete with a second tent, a sleeping bag and all the essentials, signaled to Khali to follow her and took a secret path leading her out of the cavern, up on top of it. She took shelter inside the snow covered forest, leaning against a tree, panting. Her adrenaline was pumping. For some reason, she was quite enjoying this…

~Silver's POV~

"You've got to be kidding me!" Silver cursed out loud, finding the tent empty, seemingly abandoned in a hurry. "You can't possibly have seen me…"

He paused, looking down. Sneasel was sniffing the sleeping bag, trying to distinguish the smell of the silver haired woman. Silver smirked. Sneasel didn't have the best sense of smell or tracking in the world, but with such a fresh smell and probably fresh trace, there was actually a chance he could track her down.

"Brilliant, Sneasel." He commended his Pokémon, who was now sniffing the ground, heading out of the tent. "Take me to her, and remain unnoticed."

Running after Sneasel through the tunnel, he felt a rush of adrenaline run through him, mixed with feelings of frustration and… satisfaction?


	4. Scratching the Surface

Chapter 4 – Scratching the surface

Rowena heard a branch snap and cursed under her breath. He was close. There wasn't any chance she was getting away now, even if she made a run for it. Khali was hiding with their supplies in the snow further inside the forest, and she couldn't very well call for her right now. Not that it mattered. If she had to face him, which she felt would be soon, she would do so without any Pokémon in between.

Taking a deep breath, she braced herself mentally. Any minute now…

"Rowena! I know you're here. Like it or not, I will find you. Come out this instant, or I'll hunt you down, and you won't like it… either way."

Rowena felt a smirk play on her lips. Perhaps he was wrong there, maybe she would enjoy it. There was only one way to find out. She took another deep breath; then started running away from him.

"Foolish woman!" She heard him curse, before running after her. Even though she was expertly dodging branches and jumping over logs, she felt him gaining on her. Soon, she stopped dead in her tracks, Sneasel standing before her with an Ice Beam charging up. Before it could make any use of it though, Khali jumped out of its hiding place, knocking the smaller Pokémon over and growling at it threateningly.

Before she had any time to react, a strong pair of hands had grabbed hers behind her back and pushed her hard against the nearest tree. She tasted a bit of blood in her mouth due to the impact, and winced slightly at the pain directed at her front body. She felt his grip around her hands tighten, while he leaned in closer to her ear.

"So much trouble for a simple conversation. Pray tell, why were you running?"

Rowena didn't answer. She had always enjoyed testing his patience, and she was going to keep it that way. She would never admit to him the thrill she was experiencing due to his frustration, and she would gladly suffer a bruise or two for the satisfaction.

Silver, however, wasn't quite pleased with her silence. Keeping the grip around her wrists with one hand, he used the other to grab her hair and tilt her head backwards, making her beret fall off. She hissed at the sudden impact.

"Is this how you want it?" Silver hissed in her ear, his hot breath tickling her skin. "Now, are we going to stay here until you talk, or do I take you down to that ranger's cabin by the entrance to do it? Your choice."

"I have nothing to say to you." He huffed at her, pushing her harder against the tree, making her wince again. Khali growled loudly, kept busy by the quick Sneasel. "I'm fine, Khali." She added, attempting to calm down Absol. Silver snickered.

"I swear you won't be unless you start answering my questions. You're testing my patience, and I don't like it." As he said it, he felt his heart was still racing, and it certainly wasn't due to the short hunt anymore. He took in her scent of ice, wood and campfire, pressing himself even closer to her than before. "How's it going to be?"

For once, Rowena felt vulnerable. As a Team Rocket admin, she had somehow felt invincible, until project Mewtwo reminded her that she was only human, a mortal being with a short life in this world. Her battles with Silver in the past had made her feel alive, not that she would ever admit that to him. Furthermore, he still made her feel alive. Here, trapped between him and a tree, she found herself reminded of her mortality more than ever, her heart racing in her chest. Exhilarating, like he was some kind of drug to her. After a long silence, that Silver wasn't going to break this time, she gave in.

"What do you want?" He huffed at her again.

"Why were you running?"

"…to annoy you." She decided to go for the closest possible to an honest answer, still not wanting to admit to him the satisfaction she gained from it. Silver, however, saw right through her.

"What's it to you? Enjoy it?"

"Certainly." She admitted, not showing any emotions.

"Getting started then. Now, when and why did you leave Team Rocket?" Rowena sighed slightly.

"I told you; I left when project Mewtwo went wrong. That's… four years ago now."

"Why?"

"…because the scientists and you father failed to tell us admins that Mewtwo's false, planted memories were sad and miserable, making the monster we created… well, pretty much the monster it became. Giovanni lost mine and several other admin's trust, and a good amount of us abandoned ship. I've had no contact with Team Rocket ever since."

"Are you saying they haven't tried tracking you down?" Rowena snorted.

"They haven't been foolish enough." It was Silver's turn to snort.

"As cocky as ever."

"I answered your damn questions. Now let me go." Silver, however, didn't oblige. Instead, his grip tightened even further around her wrists and hair in response.

"Who said I was finished? I remember asking you another question a few days ago that you failed to answer: what are you doing here?" Rowena huffed at him.

"Quite obviously being forcefully made to answer questions by some darned nuisance that can't get over the fact his daddy is a power-hungry maniac who abandoned him as a child. Tell me, did you ever consider that that dad of yours, unintentionally, actually did you a favor?"

Silver froze. Whatever he had expected, it wasn't this. He had waited for the "your dad"-part, but not like this. He was still angry, and her words made him boil even more on the inside, but at the same time, in some way he couldn't quite understand, he also thought she was right. Not that he would admit that. Instead, he clenched his hand hard around her wrists, yanked her head backwards and pushed her even more against the tree. She gasped slightly at the impact, wincing.

"Don't you dare mention that man." Silver hissed, not amused in the slightest. "And don't try to talk around my question: what are you doing he-…"

"Khali, Dark Pulse!" Rowena demanded, suddenly knocking Silver backwards, freeing herself from his grasp. Khali, who had been building up a Dark Pulse, released it, knocking both Sneasel and its trainer off their feet. Rowena massaged her neck, gritting her teeth.

"I'm done with you, brat." She growled, clearly having had enough. "Khali, Iron Tail that Sneasel!"

Silver had no time to react as Khali lashed out at Sneasel, who took the full blow, crying out loudly. It didn't faint though, and Silver got a chance to give a command.

"Sneasel, Ice Beam!"

"Khali, shatter it with another Dark Pulse!"

Even though Khali managed to carry out the order quite well, it still took a pretty serious blow, just like Sneasel with the Iron Tail. Both Pokémon, who had been fighting on their own the entire time when their trainers were busy annoying each other, were now panting from exhaustion.

Silver looked at Rowena. She met his gaze, narrowing her eyes. He got the point.

"Blizzard!" Silver yelled.

"Fire Blast!" Rowena shouted.

The impact was unbelievable. The nearby trees cracked and fell, and snow and wood was flying in every direction possible. Silver heard Rowena gasp and felt himself falling over, barely missing a stone with his head when he hit the ground. The fire completely consumed the blizzard, making it blaze.

When the dust finally settled, both Khali and Sneasel lay fainted on the battle ground. Silver lift his head and gasped involuntarily. Rowena was lying under a fallen tree, apparently having jumped in to push Khali out of the way. It wasn't a very big tree, in fact no larger than a standard Christmas tree, but it had come down with a considerable amount of force.

Silver managed to pull himself up and climbed over the devastation to Rowena. There was no way he was going to be able to lift the tree in his condition. Instead, he called out Alakazam to do it for him. With the psychic-type levitating the tree, Silver moved Rowena out of the way. He was about to make Alakazam levitate both her and Khali back when she opened her eyes and immediately sat up, wincing.

"Damn that hurt…" she muttered, massaging her lower back. "Get me up, our Pokémon are in need of medical attention."

"Alakazam can carry them down to the ranger's cabin." Silver said, a bit baffled she was already up and running again as usual. Rowena rose to her feet on her own and brushed herself off.

"Let's get moving then… but I'm carrying Khali." With that, she picked up her fainted companion and started walking down the slope. Silver recalled Alakazam and carried Sneasel down himself. His head was spinning from all the thoughts trying to fit inside it. Sneasel was now in need of medical attention, which was the most important. But then again… there was no other option. One way or another, he had to figure this woman out.


	5. Piercing the Ice

Chapter 5 – Piercing the ice

"It's not as bad as I thought. Both Khali and Sneasel will be back in good health soon enough, and when Sneasel is, you're leaving."

"I'm staying the night."

"No. You're leaving. Period."

"Oh, come on, you can't expect me to sleep out there in the cold. In a few hours, the sun will already be setting, and it will be dark long before I reach Blackthorn City. I'm staying the night, whether you like it or not."

"You can borrow a flashlight, but you're not staying, and that's final."

"Damn it, woman!" Silver slammed his fist onto the table, making the coffee mugs rattle. His anger was returning. Did she really not understand? "I'm borrowing your tent and sleeping outside, then, but I'm staying the night here. I'm NOT going through Ice Path in the dark, with or without a damn flashlight!"

Rowena sighed, irritated, while pouring coffee into the mugs.

"Fine, take the spare tent and sleeping equipment. Tomorrow morning I want you gone." She put the coffee kettle on the table sharply, as if to emphasis her point. "Understood?"

"Why are you so desperate for me to leave?" Silver asked, still fuming. Rowena snorted.

"Why are you so desperate to stay?" She hissed back. This time, though, Silver actually had an answer.

"I'm sick of being pushed away!" He snapped, rising from his seat so forcefully the chair fell backwards. "You can mock me all you want with how that _monster_ left me when I was a kid and how my personality traits aren't exactly making me likeable in any way, as usual. No, I'm sick of being pushed away by _you_!"

He paused, catching his breath as if he had run a marathon, waiting for her response. Rowena narrowed her eyes.

"Then why in the world of Arceus did you come looking for me in the first place, knowing you'd be pushed away?"

That pushed Silver over the edge. In one swift, forceful movement he grabbed her and slammed her into the wall, his hand on her throat. She didn't even flinch, simply blinked once, as if she was getting used to the situation. This annoyed him even further.

"So I could make sure you understood I'm not going to take that from you anymore. You can try all you want, but I'm not leaving this time." He hissed.

"You never did without a fight before either, why would I expect you to leave willingly for once?" She spat through gritted teeth, struggling to breathe normally.

"You tell me, since I'm not." His grip was tightening, and Rowena felt her head spin slightly. Darn it, he was strong! "I'm staying the night here, whether you like it or not, understood?"

To answer, she kneed him in the stomach, causing him to gasp in surprise and letting go off her throat. Massaging her aching neck and feeling oxygen rush up to her head she leaned against the wall, panting.

"Sit… down! Drink… that… darn… coffee… and shut up!" Rowena sank down onto her chair, her head still slightly blurred. Silver didn't answer as he picked up his chair and sat down on it, clasping his stomach and coughing. "One day you'll be the death of me, and you're probably looking forward to it." She glared at him, eyes full of hatred. "Is that why you're not leaving? Hoping you'll see me drop dead? Sorry, not going to give you the satisfaction." Her voice was hoarse and cracked; the combination of her sore throat, anger and hurt.

"That's not it, and you know it." Silver said, his voice cracking a bit too. Rowena huffed, taking a sip of her coffee and wincing at the pain in her throat.

"Then what?"

For the first time, Silver fell silent. He didn't know what to answer. This woman had always stirred up his emotions to their boiling point; she was the fire and he was the kettle of water. Undoubtedly she felt the same way, as she had always enjoyed annoying him. In the past, this had always resulted in one of them leaving without their meeting reaching any conclusion whatsoever. Now though, all of sudden, it felt like they had reached that conclusion, and neither of them were leaving. Silver had to answer her question, there was no other option. Sneasel was still out cold, sleeping soundly on the quilt right beside Khali, and jolting out the door without Sneasel in good health was completely out of question. Therefore, Silver took a sip of his coffee and took a deep breath.

"One of us always left. Sometimes you did, sometimes I did. It was unsatisfying; never reaching this point where you and I actually try figuring each other out. When I saw you in Ilex Forest the past came back to haunt me. I was powerless to do a thing. Don't you see? I had to find you; it felt like some kind of balance had been disturbed. I had to find you and confront you once and for all, and hence, I'm not leaving now. Not this time."

Silver looked over at Rowena, waiting for a response. She was silent, not knowing exactly how to respond. Clearly, despite his cold exterior, Silver was a man of emotions. He had always been – always angry, hateful... Rowena, on the other hand, wasn't. She enjoyed annoying him, amongst other things, and his presence had mostly annoyed her, which she somehow liked and disliked at the same time. Yet, now that she thought about it, he was the only person to ever actually amuse her in any way, be it his anger when she won a battle or his sneering remarks when she lost. Never had she thought about this in such a way Silver was now suggesting. Slowly, she finally responded.

"To be honest, I'm still not sure exactly what you seek. I might not be a Rocket admin anymore, but I'm still me, and from what I know, you've always hated me. The sight of me seems to disgust you, and sure, I can somehow understand why. The fact that you're not leaving puzzles me more than anything else, since I thought you wanted nothing more than leave me and this forsaken place behind as fast as possible. Then again, I really couldn't figure out why you came looking for me in the first place, since I was so sure you really wouldn't want to see me a second longer than you had to. Admittedly, I enjoy annoying you to no end, it has always given me some kind of satisfaction I can't quite put my finger on, and running away from you was certainly entertaining. Exhilarating even. So, fine then, stay the night here with Sneasel. I won't kick you out if you that desperately seek my company, even though it remains to me a mystery as to why in the world of Arceus you'd want to."

She stood up and walked over to a cupboard, taking out a spare mattress. Silver was still sitting by the table, stunned, like she had hit him in the head with a frying pan. Rowena had never spoken more than a few, short sentences to him at once, and now, she had basically spilled her heart out. That ice-cold heart... He looked at her making the extra bed on the floor. Feeling his heartbeat speed up slightly, he decided to ask her.

"You know my story. Tell me yours." It was more a request than a demand, and apparently, that could be heard in his voice, since Rowena didn't even flinch at it. Instead, she sighed deeply.

"There's really nothing to tell. I grew up in Viridian City; my dad was a Rocket agent and mum was no criminal at all. She worked at the Pokémon Center as an assistant. Mum died of a horrible illness when I was six and soon after, dad was assigned for an undercover mission in Johto. Unable to take me with him, I was left in the care of two Rocket admins, a married couple. They took me under their wing and I can't say I had a bad childhood. They loved me and took care of me, taught me how to battle and how to survive in any condition under any circumstances. Dad gave me Khali when he left, and she's my most precious companion to this day. I never saw dad again, and when I became an admin, I found out he had died during his mission. It was no surprise really. About Giovanni... he trusted his admins, and trusted them so much he made me one at an early age. I think he did it mostly so I could be left standing in your way, really, since around the time I was made admin you had started to get in the way of Team Rocket's plans... Not that I minded being the one always standing between you and your dad, I can truthfully say it was a thrill. That's really all there is to it. Mewtwo happened, I walked out together with my step-parents and here I am, a Johto ranger; and I intend to stay this way."

Not really having expected an answer at all, it took Silver some time to process her story. She was an orphan, just like him, even though she actually had a stepfamily, which he never had. She had been taken in by Team Rocket, while he basically had been left out of it. Somehow he was grateful for it, even though Giovanni had handed him over to his fate when abandoning him. Rowena was probably right in saying she had been promoted to an admin with the main purpose of keeping Silver busy from basically screwing up their plans.

Rowena stood up and went over to the fireplace, fueling it up with some more firewood. The light of the flames reflected on her pale cheeks, her silver hair shimmering. Silver felt his heart skip a beat and looked down on his clenched fist. What exactly was she doing to him?

"I need to get us some food, since you're staying." Rowena stated, throwing yet another piece of firewood into the flames. "I'll head down to the ranger's supply under the house; there should be something or other edible. I'm back in a few." With that, she pulled on her boots and jacket and headed outside.

Silver drank the rest of his coffee, struggling to get a hold of himself. Finally, it felt like they had pierced the ice, and he was going to make sure it wasn't freezing over again in the first place.


	6. Torn in Two

Chapter 6 - A fountain of emotions

"Why a ranger?" Silver asked. They were sitting on the porch, taking in the landscape of snow and ice. That is, he was, since Rowena's concentration was mostly on the pair of boots she was repairing.

"As a ranger I get to work alone, only following the set ranger duties and the schedule of patrol. It's peaceful and calming, and I prefer the outdoors anyday." The reply came without her once looking up from her work, concentrating. Silver would have liked to get more of her attention, but gave up for now. He'd try again... later.

"Why a wandering trainer?" She asked, catching Silver a little off guard. He hadn't been prepared to be questioned back as Rowena usually, at least in the past, hadn't really bothered asking him anything at all. Sure, she was aware of his story, his background as well as his current status, but she had never shown any interest in knowing why. Continuing to watch her careful use of the sharp needle, Silver slowly replied.

"I can do what I want whenever I feel like it. I don't have anyone telling me when to battle, when to rest and when to..." he paused, but then decided to say it anyway, "...when to strike at Team Rocket. And so forth. I'm free to do what I want, when I want to."

"And yet you're not." Rowena stated, finally turning her gaze to him, briefly. "You said it yourself the moment you mentioned Team Rocket. It's haunting you, both awake and asleep, whether you like it or not… I suppose not. You take it as your mission to stand in their way, and you have your reasons, granted; but you can't let it go. You plan when to strike, and you don't do it just because you feel like it. You do so because you feel that it's your duty, and because you strongly believe that what you're doing is right. It might be right for all I know, but at the same time, the world isn't black and white."

Silver felt a sudden urge to yell an angry response at her, but his words got caught in his throat. Technically, what Rowena had just said was no insult; only a few simple facts. Even though he literally carved his own path to walk, he was still bound to Team Rocket, having vowed to one day bring them all down.

Rowena, noticing the silence that fell over them, put aside her handiwork and stood up.

"It's getting late. Let's have a bowl of soup and go to sleep; I'll put the kettle on the fire." With that, she went inside, leaving Silver to sit alone on the porch. He was still staring at the spot where she had been sitting moments earlier. Inside of him, his emotions were at civil war. He had passionately hated this woman for so long, and now, when he finally had confronted her, he felt a whole other kind of passion burn his heart. He was by now sure it was more than frustration and lust he was feeling; the sensation slowly overwhelming him.

Silver clenched his fist, thinking back to their encounter in the forest atop Ice Path. The urge to take her there and then against the tree had been all too tempting, but at that point, the quest for answers had been stronger than anything else. The question now was: did Rowena feel the same? It was hard to tell. Her body and facial expressions barely showed any emotion at all, and what feelings were hiding in that ice-cold heart of hers no one could really tell. Silver's pulse had sped up when he held her, but the reason might as well have been fear or suspense or anything else other than what he secretly wished for.

All this meant only one thing: he had to find out.

~Rowena's POV~

Closing the door behind her, Rowena took a moment to lean against the frame and collect her thoughts. Those piercing silver eyes were still etched clearly in her mind, not wanting to be forgotten. Her heart was pounding in her chest like she had just run up the icy slope and back down. For once not quite certain of her own emotions, she let out a deep sigh and went to put the kettle of soup on the fire. What was this man playing at anyway?

~Back to normal POV~

Silver finally stepped inside the ranger's cabin, now freezing slightly. As soon as the sun had set, it had grown instantly colder and darker. The darker it became, the colder the air got. Therefore, he immediately headed for the fireplace, sitting down beside it and letting the warmth wash over him.

Rowena put two bowls and two spoons on the table and then joined Silver by the fireplace, mostly to see if the soup was ready. Deciding it had to boil a little longer, she remained crouched beside him. This was the closest they had ever been to each other without one of them strangling the other. Apparently, both were thinking along the same lines as they soon looked at each other briefly before continuing to watch the fire.

"Strange." Rowena murmured, stirring the burning wood.

"Indeed." Silver murmured back. His emotions were still raging inside him, part of them telling him to leave and part of them telling him... something completely different.

"Let's eat." Rowena stated shortly, taking the kettle from the fire and pouring soup into the bowls. She sat down by the table and started eating, famished. She hadn't realized how hungry she actually had become, escaping from Silver and only drinking coffee since. Silver, whose stomach grumbled, sat down opposite of her and pretty much gulped down his soup; as if he was afraid it would run away at any moment.

They ate in silence, even though Silver's body was now screaming at him, overwhelmed by thoughts and emotions. Unbeknownst to him, Rowena was struggling to figure out what the strange feelings she was having meant at all. She couldn't look at Silver without her heart skipping a beat or two. Therefore, she quickly finished her soup and stood up.

"I'm heading to bed; I have to be up early for my morning round tomorrow."

She washed her bowl and left it in the sink, stopped by the two Pokémon still snoozing soundly on their quilts to check on them before heading into the bathroom to wash up before bed. Silver finished his soup and put his bowl in the sink as well. He stopped to stare at the bathroom door, trying to figure out what to do now. The feelings inside him were raging, tearing him apart. He had to do something. The question was what...

Silver didn't get much time to think as Rowena soon came out from the bathroom, dressed in a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top. She went over to the sink again to fill a glass with water, drinking it thirstily and then filling it again to have it beside her bed during the night.

"You should rest too." She stated, putting down the glass on the nightstand. "If you plan continuing to Blackthorn City, Ice Path isn't exactly the most human friendly environment."

"I'm not planning anything yet." Silver said shortly. Rowena shrugged her shoulders.

"Whatever." She replied with a sigh, her irritation returning. "Since it seems like a lost cause to ever figure you out, I'll just stop trying for the time being. I'm too tired for that."

"I seem like a lost cause? Look who's talking." Silver snapped back, the raging anger inside of him reaching its boiling point. There was something about this woman that constantly kept him on the edge, and he needed to explore that unknown territory. Rowena scoffed.

"Really, we're going there again?" She bit back, exasperated, turning to face him. "From what I recall, I've been answering your questions all day long, not to mention I'm actually letting you stay the night. Now shut that mouth of yours and let me sleep, you ungrateful little brat!"

"Not until you explain..." Silver hissed, walking towards her, backing her up against a wall. "...what you're doing to me."

"What in the name of Arceus are you...!?" Her sentence finished with a gasp as Silver had spun her around, once again gripping her wrists tightly and holding her tightly against him with his arm around her chest.

"You're a darn nuisance to figure out, you know that?" He hissed in her ear. "I hated you with passion, and now I'm suddenly supposed not to. Trying to figure out whether you despise me or not is fucking impossible...!"

"I believe I've made myself clear by NOT kicking you out with force, but now I'm darn tempted to! Don't test my patience, it won't last long!" She growled back, boiling with anger.

"Shut up!" Silver growled back.

"If it's sympathy you want you won't find it here, you insolent fool! Now let me go, or else..."

"Or else what? You'll kick me again? That might hurt, but I'm prepared this time."

"Then I might just have to destroy that damn face of you-..."

Before she could continue, Silver had spun her around again. He grabbed her hair and slammed her into the wall, crashing his lips onto hers.

Rowena was stunned. At first, she instinctively tried pushing him away, but that didn't work at all. A wave of confusion, which completely paralyzed her for a moment, washed over her; soon followed by another wave that filled her with burning lust. Copying his actions, she grabbed his hair and kissed him back fiercely. With the hand still holding her wrist behind her back, Silver tightened his grip and pulled her closer, not letting go.

Silver pulled her hair slightly, exposing her neck, which he hungrily explored. Rowena growled and bit down on his neck, causing him to growl as well. He found her mouth again, biting her lower lip and inviting himself in to enter. The growls became moans as Rowena managed to free her hand from Silver's grasp and grab the neckline of his shirt, pulling him towards her. The sensation was overwhelming them both, none of them able to think straight anymore.

After what felt like an eternity later they broke apart, panting heavily. His silver eyes met her cold, grey ones, filled with a burning desire and lust.

"What are you waiting for?" Rowena growled, sounding frustrated.

"Enough waiting!" Silver growled back, grabbing her shirt and pulling her closer. "I'm having you; right here, right now."

"Come at me."


	7. Lust (skipable LEMON!)

Chapter 7 – Lust (LEMON! Possible to skip)

There was hardly any room to breathe as Silver and Rowena tried to undress one another, their mouths locked in a series of fierce kisses. Somehow he managed to get her shirt off, followed by his own as Rowena almost broke a button trying to get it off and finally succeeded. She pushed him to sit on the table to have a slightly easier time unbuckling his belt, and as soon as she was finished with that, Silver switched places with her in one swift movement, unclasping her bra and throwing it on the floor.

Pushing her down on the table, Silver finally broke the kiss and hungrily explored her whole upper body, paying extra attention to her perky breasts. Rowena gasped slightly as he bit down on her sensitive nipples and grabbed a handful of his hair reflexively. Silver couldn't help smirking a bit making his way down to her pants. He grabbed her thighs, forcing them apart, biting and nibbling the fabric. Rowena growled slightly, now highly frustrated.

"You son of a…!" she started, but Silver clasped a hand over her mouth, his face suddenly inches from hers.

"I know you like it; otherwise I'd be a dead man by now. So shut up and deal with it!" He hissed, still smirking. He gave her a rough kiss, before returning to her nether regions, pulling off her pants so only her pair of undies remained.

"Rowena, Rowena…" Silver murmured, grazing the fabric with his teeth, making her squirm in frustration. "…you have no idea what you do to me." He bit down through the fabric, causing her to gasp slightly.

"I might just know actually…" she hissed through gritted teeth. This action, however, caused Silver to basically drag her up on her feet instead, clasping his hand over her mouth once again.

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" he growled, slowly releasing the grip. Rowena smirked. Without a word she grabbed his crotch, causing him to gasp.

"You might have." She murmured mockingly, squeezing a bit while walking him into the closest wall. "Not that it's going to work." Seconds later his pants were by his feet, leaving only his boxers. With one hand on his chest holding him against the wall, Rowena stepped closer, grinding against him.

"Arceus…!" Silver moaned breathlessly as she reached down, finding his hardness in his trousers. She leaned closer, biting his earlobe and pulling it.

"Wonder what it tastes like…" she whispered huskily, her eyes glimmering mischievously.

"You'll find out." He grabbed her shoulders, pushing her down on her knees. He grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her against his crotch, to which she responded by lightly biting through the fabric.

"Suck it." Silver demanded, pulling out his member for her. Rowena clasped her hand around it and looked up at him, a smirk playing on her lips.

"You'll be begging soon." With that, she got to work, and Silver found himself completely lost in pleasure. She tightened her lips and sucked tightly, slowly… agonizingly slowly. One hand was holding his member, and the other was playing with his balls. Silver gasped as she squeezed firmly while taking his full length into her mouth.

"Darn it, Arceus!" He grabbed her hair, holding her in place while thrusting furiously in and out. He thrust deep and held, causing her to gag slightly, but she didn't seem to mind. On the contrary, when she broke free for air she smirked up at him again.

"Eager, are we?" She stood up and caught his lips in a harsh kiss, biting his lower lip. "Show me just how eager you are."

"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" Silver growled, pushing her back over to the table and lifting her legs so she was laying on it. He ripped off her pants in one swift movement and parted her legs. He bent down, his face so close to hers his lips where touching hers when he spoke again: "Since you haven't killed me yet, I guess you're just as eager as I am."

"Damn right you are, but I'm not going to shut up."

"Fair enough."

With that, he entered her, making Rowena gasp in surprise. Silver kept his gaze fixed on her face, trying to read her the best he could. He pulled back a bit and thrust in slowly, resisting the urge to just thrust all the way. Step by step, he started moving more rhythmically. Rowena moaned slightly, digging her nails into Silver's back. Spurred on by her reaction, he soon picked up speed and hungrily claimed her lips, kissing every bit of skin he could reach, including her sensitive nipples. Rowena felt her pleasure take over every inch of her as she got used to Silver and started rocking back and forth, meeting his every thrust. This encouraged him even further, standing up straight and grabbing hold of her waist to thrust harder and faster. Rowena dug her nails into his bare chest, leaving red marks as she scratched his pale skin. Silver licked his thumb and began massaging her sensitive clit, making her gasp again and arch her back in pleasure. Silver smirked, continuing his work. He bent down again, just as close to her face as before, kissing her harshly and breathing huskily into her ear:

"Come for me, Rowena, I want to feel you tremble…" Rowena, already on the verge of climax, moaned loudly as Silver bit down on the sensitive spot in her neck, still continuing his massage in her nether regions, thrusting in and out. She dug her nails into his skin again, making him growl slightly, a noise which made her weak in the knees.

"Rowena…" Silver breathed harshly into her ear, thrusting harder and adding pressure on her clit. Seconds later, Rowena tipped over the edge with a loud moan, losing herself in wave after wave of pleasure, trembling in ecstasy. Silver stopped moving for a moment, taking time to savor the sensation of her climax. He claimed her lips, kissing her hungrily. Then, without a word, he flipped her over and pushed her upper body down on the table. In one swift movement once again, he entered her from behind, pushing her lower back downwards before grabbing her waist and thrusting violently in and out. Rowena had barely any time to react to what was happening, and was now moaning again due to her now even more sensitive womanhood.

"Silver…!" Rowena gasped when he grabbed hold of her hair and pulled it.

"Again." He demanded, thrusting harder.

"Silver!"

Silver let go off Rowena's hair and grabbed her waist again, thrusting mercilessly until he reached his own climax, moaning loudly. He fell on top of her, grabbing her wrists and panting heavily. Then, he lift them both up, still inside her, kissing her neck.

"You aren't using that mattress on the floor, I suppose?" Rowena sighed, leaning her head sideways to give him better access.

"No." Silver replied, lifting her up in his arms and carrying her to the bed, lying down under the sheets with her. He pulled her against him, nuzzling her neck.

"You're going to choke on my hair sooner or later." Rowena muttered, entwining her legs with his.

"Of all ways you could get rid of me, I never thought it would be by choking on your hair."

"Nothing else seems to be working."

"You're not getting rid of me."

"…I'm not sure I want to."

"That's a new one."

"Don't get all cocky. By the way, I'm doing my morning rounds at sunrise, I'll be back a few hours later, so don't go all psycho if you wake up and I'm not here."

"Got it."

"Good, now sleep." Silver gently kissed her sensitive neck, now full of love marks, just as his.

"Goodnight to you too."


	8. A Pair of Wanderers

Chapter 8 – A pair of wanderers

Silver woke up the next morning with the suns early rays tickling his eyelids. He opened them and was greeted by Sneasel, who was sitting on the bed by his side, watching him curiously.

"Oh, Sneasel, good to see you're up and well." Silver said, letting out a sigh of relief and sitting up to hug Sneasel. The Pokémon purred happily and hugged him back. "You must be hungry…"

Silver got out of bed and picked up his boxers from the floor, putting them on. Rowena was probably still out on her morning round, as both she and Khali were gone. Seeing a note on the table, Silver went over and read it. It said:

 _Sneasel has eaten breakfast with Khali. Feel free to make yourself coffee and sandwiches, the fire we lit should still be going. I'll be back around 8._

Looking at the time, Silver decided to wash himself and get dressed and then made a whole kettle of coffee, since Rowena would be back soon. Sneasel was sitting on the kitchen table and watching him make sandwiches, having fun blowing cold air at the candle beside it, making it flicker.

Soon enough Rowena got back with Khali in tow, both of them carrying fire wood.

"Good morning." She greeted, striding in with her boots on to place the wood by the fireplace.

"Good morning." Silver responded. He gestured to the coffee kettle above the fire. "I thought you might be back soon, so I made coffee for you too. It should be ready any minute now."

"Thanks, much appreciated." Rowena panted, taking off her turtleneck jacket and sitting down by the table. Khali came to sit by her side and she proceeded to stroke the Pokémon's fur, to which the Absol purred in satisfaction. Rowena smiled slightly, as she was obviously happy that Khali was fully recovered.

"I got new orders." She said, turning her gaze to Silver. "I need to pack my bags and head for Ilex Forest again tonight."

"I'll go with you." Silver said simply, chewing on a sandwich. "You can't stop me. I'm a wandering trainer, and I go wherever I want."

"I thought you were going to challenge Blackthorn Gym again?"

"I'd rather go back to Ilex Forest with you." Rowena sighed, but a small smile was playing on her lips.

"We're leaving after the evening rounds around ten."

"So it's 'we' now? I like the sound of that." Silver said mockingly, but couldn't hide a small smile of his own.

"I told you not to get cocky. Now hand me that coffee kettle." Still half smirking, half smiling, Silver took the kettle from the fire and handed it to Rowena.

"Is that what you're going to do? Follow me around like a puppy?"

"For now. But as I said, I'm a wandering trainer, and just like you, I can't stand still for long. I will challenge all the gyms in Johto again at some point, and since you're now going to be stationed in Ilex Forest, I might just start on that project."

"So, here we are; two wanderers unable to sit still…" Rowena murmured, sipping her coffee. Silver got up from his chair, walked behind her and bent down, putting his arms around her and kissing her neck and cheek, before reaching her mouth. Grazing her ear with his warm coffee-breath, he murmured:

"Let's wander together." Rowena felt a wave of pleasant warmth fill her and a smile broke free on her lips. She turned her head to kiss Silver's lips as he held her close. When they broke apart she looked up at him, still smiling.

"I'd love to, Silver."


End file.
